A call for help in Bethlehem and Northampton County is only a few keystrokes away.

City and county emergency dispatchers are now responding to text messages sent to 911.

While officials say responses will likely be quicker with a phone call, the text-to-911 service recognizes a changing demographic that relies more and more on texting for communication.

It's also aimed at helping those who are unable to talk, either because they are speech- or hearing-impaired, have a medical emergency that prevents them from speaking or fear domestic abuse.

"This service has many significant benefits to residents, especially in cases where the caller cannot communicate verbally," Mayor Robert Donchez said at a news conference Monday at the city's 911 center.

Donchez was joined by Northampton County Executive John Brown, Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio, Northampton County Emergency Management Director Robert Mateff and Bethlehem 911 Director Robert Haffner.

City officials say the texting service was made possible by a 2012 agreement between National Emergency Number Association, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile and the Association of the Public Safety Communications International to have the service in place on those carriers' networks by last May.

So far, 10 of Pennsylvania's 69 emergency centers are set up to accept text messages, county officials said. Allentown announced its text-to-911 program last April.

Northampton County and Bethlehem partnered for the text-to-911 service. It went live in October, but officials didn't publicly announce it then because they wanted to test it. The county has had just one text where emergency personnel were dispatched; the city has had no dispatches yet.

Brown and Donchez said it was important for the county and the city to seek partnerships because of funding issues caused by an antiquated funding system for 911.

The emergency dispatch centers get funding from tiny fees tacked onto phone bills. Those surcharges haven't changed since 1990, when the land-line fee was imposed, or since 2008, when the cellphone fee was added. More of the centers' costs are being shouldered by local property taxes.

Donchez announced last month he has convened a committee to review the pros and cons of staying a city-operated center, merging with Northampton County, sharing software and equipment with Allentown and of merging with Allentown.